The crash happened when police say a vehicle merging slowly from the shoulder onto northbound US-131 was rear-ended by a vehicle driving full speed that was unable to stop. Wilson-Wade was driving his friend’s car at the time of the crash, according to relatives. He’d been called by his friend who needed help after being pulled over. Wade’s relatives suspect the friend was found to be driving on a suspended license, so Wade was called to drive the friend’s car home from where it was parked on the shoulder of the highway.

Wilson-Wade had just started working as a sales associate at AT&T and was a 2010 graduate of Forest Hills Central. Wilson-Wade previously attended GRCC and Central Michigan University.